George Washington University Commencement Sunday, May 18, 2014 Full Transcript >> Steve Lerman, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs: Please rise and join me in welcoming the graduating class of the George Washington University. >> Steve Lerman: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the faculty of the George Washington University. (APPLAUSE) >> Steve Lerman: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to George Washington University board of trustees, the Chair Nelson A. Carbonell, Jr., President Steven Knapp, members of the administration and our very special awardees and honorees escorted by the GW Police Department Honor Guard. (APPLAUSE) >> Steve Lerman: On behalf of my colleagues on stage and all of my colleagues who make up this great university community, I am delighted to welcome all of you to the spring commencement in this the 193rd year of the George Washington University. All who are able, please stand. We will begin our ceremony with the Presentation of the Colors by the George Washington Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Ceremonial Color Guard, and the National Anthem sung by Millicent Scarlett. We will remain standing for the retiring of the colors, followed by the invocation by Sidi Irfaan Nooruddin, coordinator of the Islamic Ministry Services at the Washington D. C. Youth Services Center. (Music.) >> Millicent Scarlett, lecturer in music: Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed, at the twilight's last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming. And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. (APPLAUSE) >> Sidi Nooruddin, coordinator, Islamic Ministry Services, Washington, D.C.: Good morning, please join me in prayer. In the name of the Divine, great and constant in mercy. O Lord of many names and attributes, who transcends gender and race, who exists within and without in states of being and non‑being abounding in grace. We extol thanks and praise for the bounties of being a part of a campus of diverse communities that offers each student unique opportunities. We express our thanks of four years of scholarly instruction with the hope of realizing our potential for individual and communal transformation. We seek refuge in you alone from the difficulties we may face in graduate school applications, and job interviews. We seek refuge in you alone oh, God, to ask you to grant us your love and the love of those actions which lead us to you. Oh, Lord, forgive our shortcomings and make our actions pure and keeping them from harming others. Grant us tolerance and acceptance of others, that the doors of ignorance are closed. Oh, Lord, give us that certainty by which doubts are dispelled and the courage to seek the truth within ourselves. Grant us the discernment that brings us out of confusion but instill upon us a light to guide us out and bring understanding between people. Oh, Lord, we ask you for the grace to have hearts which are tranquil and steadfast, prayerful and gracious, which recognize the truth and adhere to it. Oh, Lord, dispel poverty from us and let us not be unmindful of the suffering of others. Bestow on us a light in our eyes, certainty in our hearts, love in our souls with the delight of your remembrance. Oh, Lord at times of ease and times of need, make us thankful for our bounties, patient in your calamities and content with our destinies, Ameen. Congratulations. (APPLAUSE) >> Steve Lerman: Please be seated. Class of 2014, I am delighted to open this ceremony in this truly one one‑of‑a‑kind setting in the Nation's Mall to gather so close to the U.S. Capitol and monument dedicated to the nation's first president is a fitting tribute to your achievement in completing your degrees. It's now my honor and privilege to invite the president of the university to join me at the podium. Dr. Steven Knapp is concluding his 7th year as president of the George Washington University. Dr. Knapp leads a community of faculty, students and staff that numbers almost 30,000 people. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the George Washington University's 16th president, Dr. Steven Knapp. (APPLAUSE) >> Steven Knapp, president of the George Washington University: Thank you Provost Chair Carbonell, university trustees, honorary degree recipients, university leaders, distinguished faculty, ladies and gentlemen, good morning! Graduates: Let me begin by congratulating you on your outstanding achievements and tell you that the George Washington University is very, very proud of you. Very proud of you! (APPLAUSE) >> Steven Knapp: I would like to thank our host, the National Park Service and the park service staff for their gracious and generous help preparing this majestic setting for today's ceremony. Please join me in thanking the National Park Service and staff. (APPLAUSE) >> Steven Knapp: Now, I would like to continue important commencement tradition will the parents, the families and the friends of the Class of 2014, please rise to accept our congratulations and our thanks. (APPLAUSE) >> Steven Knapp: It is now my pleasure to recognize the special guests who today will receive the university's highest honor. Please join me in welcoming social justice advocate and former president and CEO of the Greater Washington Urban League, Maudine Cooper. (APPLAUSE) >> Steven Knapp: Entrepreneur, financier, philanthropist, and chairman emeritus of the George Washington Board of Trustees, W. Russell Ramsey. (APPLAUSE) >> Steven Knapp: And world‑renowned chef, culinary innovator and passionate champion of education, health and economic opportunity, Jose Andres. (APPLAUSE) >> Steven Knapp: I now have the honor of introducing Nelson A. Carbonell Jr., chair of the university's Board of Trustees. Mr. Carbonell. (APPLAUSE) >> Nelson Carbonell, chair of the George Washington University Board of Trustees: Thank you President Knapp. So I don't know if anyone knows this, in my first year as board chair my job was to control the weather for this event. (LAUGHTER) >> Nelson Carbonell: I think I have done fairly well. (APPLAUSE) >> Nelson Carbonell: Thank you. Good morning. I am honored as chair of the Board of Trustees to join President Knapp and my fellow trustees in welcoming all of you on this very significant occasion, as we celebrate the Class of 2014 and their many achievements and accomplishments. I would first like to ask the trustees who have joined us this morning to please rise and be recognized. (APPLAUSE) >> Nelson Carbonell: To my colleagues, my deepest thanks for your leadership and service to the Board of Trustees. We are grateful for your commitment to the George Washington University. It is also my pleasure to offer a special welcome to our honorary degree recipients, my new friend, Maudine Cooper, who I met for the first time last night. (APPLAUSE) >> Nelson Carbonell: My old friend and predecessor as board chair, W. Russell Ramsey. (APPLAUSE) >> Nelson Carbonell: And my dear friend, Jose Andres. Bienvenido, Jose. We appreciate all of you being here on this momentous occasion to not only celebrate our graduates but to recognize the hard work and commitment of the faculty, the support of the staff, and the love and caring of the family and friends that helped them through their journey at GW. It was almost 33 years ago that I came to the George Washington University on a scholarship. I don't exaggerate when I say it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Twenty‑nine years ago, I graduated with a bachelor's degree in engineering. From my own experience ‑‑ (APPLAUSE) >> Nelson Carbonell: Yay engineering. (LAUGHTER) >> Nelson Carbonell: From my own experience I can tell you that the time I spent here the education that I received and the friends that I made have stayed with me and continued to enrich my life. GW gave me an opportunity, challenged me intellectually and prepared me well for the future. I will be forever grateful and loyal to this university. As a board member and as the new chair, I along with my fellow trustees have an opportunity to play a leading role in the growth and development of this university. Today we stand among the most respected and admired universities in the world. (APPLAUSE) >> Nelson Carbonell: Now, each of you, our new GW graduates, has a role to play. Take all you have learned through your academic and co‑curricular pursuits and the pride and respect that you have gained for your alma mater into the world as citizen leaders. Each of you has been shaped by your experience at the George Washington University. I encourage you to fully utilize your individual talents to make a difference in our world. Finally, don't wait to be asked: Stay connected with this university by visiting campus, letting us know of your accomplishments, sharing your expertise, hiring a fellow GW alum, making gifts to support the institution and encouraging others to follow in your footsteps here at the George Washington University. We are proud of you, and I know you will always be as proud as I am to say: I am a graduate of the George Washington University. Congratulations to all of you. (APPLAUSE) >> Nelson Carbonell: It is now my pleasure to turn the program back over to Provost Lerman. (APPLAUSE) >> Steve Lerman: It's now my honor to recognize this year's recipients of the George Washington awards. These awards are conferred for extraordinary contributions to the George Washington community.